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Sarah Forrest

Sarah Forrest was awarded a one-month visual arts residency at Cove Park in 2014. Based in Glasgow, Sarah is known for her innovative work in film and video. Her residency followed the completion of a highly successful solo exhibition at CCA Glasgow in 2013, featuring the video installation ‘I left it on page 32’. This work, which was shaped directly by Jean-Paul Sartre’s Nausea, reflects Sarah’s interest in fiction, theory and philosophy and the importance of literature to her practice. At Cove Park Sarah was able to reflect upon this exhibition, the recent publication of her first limited edition artwork (Sadie Kane) and to develop ideas for new work. Sarah recently described the importance of the residency at that particular point in her practice:

‘Part of what drew me to Cove Park’s residency programme was the opportunity to remove myself from my day-to-day life in Glasgow, its routines and responsibilities and immerse myself in my practice. I was curious about this desire to be immersed. I spent the month writing, filming, editing and drawing, using these processes to think through what it could mean, or how it might look to be absorbed. The work I was making was really explorative… I remember feeling certain at the time that this was really useful for me, that a lot of ideas were generated during the month that I was there, both through my studio practice and from the conversations and encounters I had with the other resident artists and writers; however I was also aware that I found it difficult to pin down exactly what I had done. It has been really good for me to look back now at the writing and footage from that time and be able to trace so many ideas and concerns that are central to my more recent works back to the month long residency.’

In February this year, Sarah was announced as the recipient of the 2017 Margaret Tait Award. This prestigious commission supports experimental new work within film and moving image in Scotland and previous recipients include Cove Park residents Anne-Marie Copestake, Kate Davis, Torsten Lauschmann, Duncan Marquiss, Charlotte Prodger and Stephen Sutcliffe.

Sarah is now developing new work for this commission: ‘The work that I have proposed will begin with a period of research on the Isle of Lewis, where I will be looking initially at the island’s rich history of prophetic ‘second sight’, drawing from stories that I heard from my mother who grew up there. This work will build on recurring themes in my practice that look at appearance, perception, doubt and belief, with the commission being an exciting and significant opportunity for me to explore these in a longer form work.’

The completed work will be shown at the Glasgow Film Festival in 2018.